Better Roads

April 2014

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Better Roads April 2014 19
Huertas says. "This combination requires that the work is
thoroughly planned, not only in order to use the aggregates,
but also for the stability of the slopes."
The new highway, slated to be complete in 2015, will be a
much-needed channel that links Colombia to Venezuela. The
project's difﬁ culty lies not only in ﬁ nding usable material
in a close proximity to build the road, but also in overcom-
ing the country's demanding topography. The current road
between Bucaramanga and Cúcuta is narrow and steep,
with altitudes ranging from 2,952 feet above sea level up to
11,811 feet. The new highway's design levels out the road to
a maximum 7.5-percent incline – down from a high of 18
percent. Once complete, vehicles will be able to go as fast as
50 miles per hour, reducing travel time from Bucaramanga
to Cúcuta from six hours to 2-1/2 hours.
All of this had to be accomplished without interrupting
the ﬂ ow of trafﬁ c of vehicles traveling from Bucaramanga to
Cúcuta, and at the same time, maintaining the integrity of
the natural landscape.
"Our work has been exemplary both from an environmen-
tal point of view and regarding the handling of the resources
of a public works project," Huertas says. "The entire respon-
sibility falls to us to take care of the fauna and ﬂ ora of these
mountains, and we must recover many areas with native spe-
cies. Therefore, it is a much more comprehensive construction
than older projects or other projects in Colombia."
The end result is a country that will have an updated
infrastructure capable of meeting Colombia's growing needs
for travel and trade, says Dave McCracken, international sales
director for Latin America and the Caribbean for KPI-JCI and
Astec Mobile Screens.
"The construction of modern, multi-lane highways in
Colombia's mountainous and rugged terrain is making
travel safer and faster for its citizens," McCracken says. "On
the commercial side, industrial goods for export will be
done more efﬁ ciently and at a reduced cost as they move to
Colombian ports."
Forging forward
with relationships
The complexity of the project required MHC to invest in
high-quality mobile equipment that could classify aggregate
without the use of water – which is limited in the region
– as well as provide a high production rate, according to
Huertas. But most importantly, he was seeking a relationship
with a manufacturer and local dealer
that would listen to his speciﬁ c needs
and provide a solution.
"Throughout this process, we
expected to be guided and advised
by the dealer and the manufacturer
in terms of making improvements
or adapting the machinery to our
environment, which is different in
each country, given the operation,
geography and site location," Huer-
tas says. "KPI-JCI and Astec Mobile
Screens, as well as Astec Inc., provided
me with research and the opportunity
to observe the equipment working in
other countries, so as to unify criteria
and optimize resources.
"What led us to purchase the equip-
ment is the personalized relationship
between the dealer, the factory and all
of the engineers that act on a product,"
he continues. "The quality of equipment is also crucial.
According to our experience, it is not a good practice to try
to sell a product only for the sake of the sale. It is important
for the product not only to be able to produce aggregates,
but also to allow the owner to have additional capacity in
the future. It is critical that there is a long-term connection
between the manufacturer, dealer and the producer."
Through authorized dealer Rodríguez y Loñdono and
Mario Huertas Corporation is using a Double Barrel warm-mix asphalt system for the new highway, slated
to be complete in 2015, that will link Colombia to Venezuela.
HighwayContractor